The Giving Guest Program

The Giving Guest program invites tourists to round up their totals at participating local businesses' registers or purchase designated items for donations. It’s simple: visit any participating business and say “Yes!” if you’d like to round up or look for products featuring the Giving Guest logo. Since 2022, this small gesture, repeated by countless visitors, has helped us raise over $32,000—funds that directly support more than 40 nonprofits in our community and contribute to the vibrant vacation destination you know and love.

It’s a win-win-win for everyone involved:

• Tourists get the chance to give back to the places they cherish.

• Local businesses help strengthen their community while enhancing their brand's philanthropic image.

• Local nonprofits gain essential funding to continue their important work. Tourists, business owners, nonprofits, and the Network are turning “pocket change” into meaningful change.

IMPACT STORIES

Rocky Mountain Conservancy

Giving Guest funds are invested in a program that–not so ironically–primarily benefits our guests! The Junior Ranger Program introduces younger visitors to the natural and cultural resources of Rocky Mountain National Park. For 12 weeks each summer, Hidden Valley becomes the Park’s Junior Ranger headquarters, where visiting families and groups with children of all ages participate in engaging activities. The junior ranger program serves more than 37,000 visitors, with nearly 6,500 attending pop-up programming throughout the park. Giving Guest funds are used to produce Junior Ranger booklets, program supplies, and a summer seasonal ranger.

Photo credit: NPS/Bonnie Beach. Financial support for the Junior Ranger program creates the next generation of stewards of Rocky and our public lands.

Estes Park Museum Friends & Foundation Inc.

Giving Guest dollars are being used to document and preserve historical artifacts that will be made available online. Giving Guest donations help fund an Assistant Curator of Collections who is processing a backlog of over 18,000 artifacts! Most of these documents, photos, and books are coming from three of our town’s oldest organizations: Estes Valley Library, Estes Park Woman's Club, and the Newcomers Club. This is a huge project that will greatly benefit our community and all those researching the history of Estes Park.

Estes Park Quota Club

The Estes Park Quota Club uses Giving Guest dollars to purchase durable medical equipment for its Loan Closet. Both locals and guests can check out wheelchairs, hospital beds, walkers, toilet risers, canes, crutches, and more.

Quota is also responsible for purchasing ambulances for Estes Park Health, automated external defibrillators for the Estes Park Police Department and local businesses, and school hearing equipment.

Estes Park Quota Club, formed in the 1940s, has helped purchase 21 ambulances for the Estes community.

Estes Park Education Foundation

Giving Guest dollars helps support the Estes Park School’s Positive Campus Culture: a district-wide program led by student leaders from the Superintendent's Council for initiatives such as Welcome Bags for new students, motivational speakers, student-led podcasts, and the Cat Chat Cart to facilitate open communication between students and staff. It also supports efforts such as the Elementary School Garden Club: Budding biologists are dedicated to supporting local pollinators, learning how to garden at high elevations, and bringing more beauty to our district.

Elementary School students grow vegetables and pollinator plants in Estes Valley Community Garden plots.

Estes Valley Land Trust

Giving Guest funds received in 2024 covered the entire cost of our Rocky Mountain Plant Symposium and three educational hikes on conserved properties. The money from Giving Guest is not restricted to any program, service, or expense. We were happy to apply Giving Guest donations to educational programs that were not otherwise funded.

Tour of over 10,000 acres of property conserved by the Estes Valley Land Trust.

KEP Expeditions

The Giving Guest program directly impacts our ability to create inclusive outdoor experiences. This summer, we're committed to providing 10 transformative guided fly-fishing and hiking expeditions for 50 individuals with diverse disabilities. While our ultimate goal includes an accessible vehicle, even a $2,000 boost allows us to purchase more adaptive gear like specialized hiking wheelchairs and fly-fishing equipment. With more businesses participating and more guests donating, we could significantly expand our reach, moving closer to our vision of "everybody anywhere."